A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

Gandalf said that the remnants of the Old Ones are the raw materials of magical items.

"What a shame! Even though it's a Scourge-grade item, there aren't many left," Gandalf said after a moment's thought. "I should probably only be able to extract a portion of its essence and craft it into..." He pondered. "An item with Domination attributes, like a Domination Necklace?"

"Domination necklace?"

"Make one part into a magical toxin, and the other into a corresponding necklace of domination," Gandalf said. "According to what you said, this could theoretically work. Anyone who drinks the toxin will become a beast ghost, controlled by the necklace of domination. Shouldn't that be enough to control hundreds of people?"

"That kind of thing..." Thomas felt sick at the thought of the beast ghost. "What's the use?"

"How can an army that is absolutely loyal be useless?" Gandalf asked in surprise.

"I don't need it." Thomas couldn't help but roll his eyes. He had no intention of rebelling against the Duke, he just wanted to be a knight.

"Well, then maybe it could be made into a ring... no, a bracelet," Gandalf said. "It should have that kind of invulnerability. But it's not the original, so it's bound to be a bit weaker... and the original doesn't seem to be very effective."

“That’s the one,” Thomas said.

"But... this won't be easy," the money-grubber said slowly. "I'll need some complicated methods to extract its... essence, which will probably be quite expensive."

"How much?" Thomas was mentally prepared to be blackmailed.

"Eight thousand florins," said Gandalf.

Thomas gasped. The image of a superior being in his mind had long since vanished. Instead, he felt that Gandalf was nothing more than a butcher's knife.

The pointed hat was like the tip of a butcher knife, flashing a bright cold light.

"So expensive..."

"This involves the crafting of a magical item," Gandalf said. "While the power of a magical item depends on the raw materials used, the craftsmanship is also crucial to the performance of the finished product. And in this regard, I'm quite confident in my craftsmanship! This price is not high at all."

Thomas gritted his teeth, but there was nothing he could do.

He could go find other magicians, but he didn't dare to take the risk.

Although the old man asked for a very high price, the finished product... at least the last finished product, which was Thomas' magic sword, had really good performance.

This sword was like a tiger with wings in hand. It completely achieved Thomas's original idea, and even better than his original idea.

After several battles, this lightning sword killed countless people.

Even those mid-level warriors, despite decades of hard training and actual combat, were no match for the magic sword's power. Their entire bodies went numb in one blow, and the next was a life-or-death blow. Even a second blow wasn't necessary; a single swipe across the opponent's neck, as the weapons clashed, was enough to finish them off.

"How long does it take to make this thing?"

"It will take about ten days," said Gandalf. "You must pay a deposit of three thousand florins, and the rest when the work is finished."

Even if Thomas was just guessing, he could guess that the three thousand was probably the cost of raw materials, and the five thousand was probably the pure profit.

Of course, you can also say "processing fee".

"Just in time for the Bulgars."

"Bulgar?"

"Volga Bulgars!" said the old magician. "You don't know?"

"No... I don't know anything." Damn, I just got back! "What happened?"

"Civil strife has broken out among the Volga Bulgars, with the old taking over," the old magician said. "It's said that a prince with a claim to the throne, protected by his last remaining loyal guards, is fleeing towards Rus. And the one who now occupies the Bulgar Khanate has offered a bounty that will tempt everyone. Of course, that's not the most important thing. The most important thing is that the Grand Duke is very interested in this matter."

"The Grand Duke... hopes that the prince will stay in Ross?" Thomas thought for a moment and asked.

Chapter 72 Aftermath 3

In his previous life, Thomas had no idea what Volga and Bulgar were.

In fact, he knew very little about the history of Eastern Europe - even this little knowledge was of no reference value because of the different development trajectories of the world.

For example, even to this day, the terrifying Mongol army has not yet arrived.

The entire Rus is still doing well. Kiev is still the mother of all cities. Although Moscow has been established, it is absolutely too much to think that it can replace Kiev.

However, although I didn’t know this in my previous life, I read a lot of books after coming to Kiev, which helped me to make up for my knowledge of history and geography.

So he knew that the Volga Bulgars were a branch of the Great Bulgar Khanate after its disintegration. After the death of Kuburt Khan, his five sons divided the Khanate and established a series of states. Three of the branches had been eliminated, leaving only two.

One is the Bulgarian Empire in the Balkans, which was eventually destroyed by Byzantium and now only its remnants remain.

According to memories from a previous life, although this empire was gone, its remnants would continue to persevere and persevere, facing one conqueror after another. Their culture would not be extinguished, and a new Bulgaria would be established in the future. This could be considered a successful restoration of the nation.

The other one is the Volga-Bulgars mentioned by the old magician. The Bulgars established a country here in the middle reaches of the Volga River.

Thomas had no idea what this country was. He was only certain that the Volga River was the territory of the future Tsarist Russia.

At the same time, it also blocked the Mongols' westward expedition.

So it is very likely that it was first destroyed by the Mongol army and became the territory of the Golden Horde. Then when Moscow broke free from the control of the Mongols and became independent, it was naturally incorporated into its own territory.

In this parallel dimension, the Mongols were late in arriving, so Volga-Bulgar still exists.

It should be specially pointed out that the Volga Bulgars are not a Christian country, nor are they believers of indigenous gods. They are actually Star and Crescent believers!

I can only say it was a ghost.

Fortunately, the Volga-Bulgars were never a military power, and after repeated battles with the Russians, they have now been defeated. The two sides currently coexist peacefully.

But in this era, unlike the post-World War II peace Thomas remembered, there was no real peaceful coexistence. The so-called peaceful coexistence simply meant that a suitable opportunity had not yet been found to take action.

So there is no doubt that this little prince is a very important bargaining chip in politics.

It is normal that the Grand Council of Kyiv took a fancy to it.

"Of course, everyone can see what the Grand Duke is thinking. The only question is how much he is willing to pay for it."

Thomas thought about it and felt that this matter had nothing to do with him.

He didn't think he could find the little prince.

Unless he goes to Freya for fortune telling.

But what can I say? Thomas had his fortune told so many times in Bohemia before, and now he feels a little uneasy. He doesn't dare to continue cheating like this, for fear of the backlash of the sequelae.

Moreover, he is already a knight commander at such a young age, which makes him a winner in life. He has made so much money, and if he is promoted to a higher position, he will be a tree that stands out in the forest and will be destroyed by the wind.

For the time being, Thomas did not have much appeal for the little prince's affairs, and he did not want to get involved.

"Okay, eight thousand then!" Thomas finally gave in. "I'll go get the money first."

Old Money Man has a monopoly on the production of magical items, and you can't refuse.

"By the way, I have a suggestion." Gandalf said suddenly.

"What proposal?"

"If you find the little prince, could you give me some of his blood?"

"Blood?" Thomas was puzzled. What did it mean? A curse?

"This little prince is no ordinary man," the magician stroked his beard. "His lineage is from Kuburt Khan. Legend has it that Kuburt Khan himself was a great hero and even married a Hun woman. This Hun woman... I'm afraid she has Attila's blood."

Thomas was stunned when he heard this.

How does this involve Attila? Who was Attila? This happened in the Roman era. It's no exaggeration to say that he was on the same level as the Yan and Huang emperors of previous generations, a figure from myth and legend.

This is like Thomas's past life: Chinese people call themselves descendants of Yan and Huang, but that's just talk. No one truly believes they are direct descendants of Yan and Huang. Meanwhile, neighboring Japan always claims the emperor's lineage is "eternal," but even a fool knows that their lineage has been changed several times by powerful officials.

"What does this mean?"

"Noble blood!" said the old magician. "This little prince may very well have noble blood! And the strongest kind!"

"What is the illustrious blood?"

"You do not know?"

"Nothing! What's the use of it?"

"Well... since we've made this deal, I won't charge for this information," Gandalf said. "The Glorious Blood is completely useless in normal times. Like an ordinary person, it hurts when hit and craves food when hungry. It doesn't confer special powers or wisdom. However, when you reach the pinnacle of the elite and aspire to be promoted to Protector of the Nation, you must possess the Glorious Blood."

"You mean... without noble blood, one cannot set foot in the Protectorate?"

Thomas felt he was at the mid-elite level, still some distance from the peak, so he didn't need to think too much about it for now. But it would be good to have the opportunity to know in advance.

There aren't many free opportunities here at Old Money Man.

"That's it."

"Why is this happening? What exactly is the Exalted Blood?"

"What exactly is the Glorious Blood? Different people have different opinions. But one thing is certain: the concept of Glorious Blood is very old. It appeared long before the rise of Christianity. At that time, sacrificing living people to the gods was the norm. In ancient times, almost all gods would accept blood sacrifices. At that time, people discovered that the gods also had preferences when it came to sacrifices. Sometimes, sacrificing a large number of captives would not receive a sympathetic response from the gods, but sometimes, a small number of sacrifices would greatly please the gods. The priests of the time easily discovered that sacrifices of noble birth were more likely to satisfy the gods."

"Motivated by the desire to please the gods, those early priests conducted in-depth research. They discovered that offerings that satisfied the gods could be passed down through bloodlines. In other words, that quality was passed down through bloodlines. They then discovered that these bloodlines could be traced back to a great figure, either a hero, a founder of a nation, or a demigod, or at least one who was known as a demigod. Thus, the term 'illustrious blood' emerged."

"After their defeat at Cannae, the Romans believed they had lost the favor of the gods. To regain their favor, they mercilessly executed the priestess who had lost her virginity, considered the culprit, and even slaughtered an entire group of young nobles from foreign countries as sacrifices. So, it's certain that, at least at that time, the Romans fully understood that pleasing the gods required noble sacrifices, not vulgar ones. Ordinary people were not worthy of being sacrificed; only the blood of the noble was effective. As for the outcome... we all know that the Romans won the final victory."

"A hidden power deep within the bloodline?" Thomas muttered. "Some people simply have greater potential than others, just like some people are simply taller than others. That's why some can ascend to the Protectorate, while others can't."

This is an innate factor, a gift from the source of blood, and an arrangement of fate, but it is something that cannot be helped.

"That's about what I mean." The old magician nodded.

"But there is a way to cross domains, right?" Thomas remembered what the old magician had said before.

"Yes." Gandalf took out a hand and made a gesture as if counting money.

The previous information was free, but this one obviously isn't. You have to pay extra!

Everything has a price, but knowledge is the greatest luxury!

Section 73 Investigation

Thomas smiled awkwardly and pretended not to notice. God knew what price the old miser would ask for. Besides, he had just decided not to care about it.

As for the matter of the glorious blood... we will talk about it later.

Moreover, this glorious blood is passed down through bloodlines, so two situations are bound to occur.

A man gives birth to an illegitimate child outside of marriage, or a woman gives birth to a child with her lover.

Nobles do not necessarily have distinguished blood, and commoners do not necessarily not have it either.

After all, things like blood sacrifice have long been consigned to the dustbin of history. Christianity may not be good at other things, but it definitely deserves credit for this one.

Influenced by Christianity, other religions, such as the belief in indigenous gods in Ross, rarely involve human sacrifice.

Killing live animals for sacrifice was common...but that didn't matter.

The peaceful days slowly passed.

Without Bai Lan, there would be no more messy work involving the misuse of public resources for personal gain.

Thomas hadn't requested any reinforcements, and the Knights hadn't taken the opportunity to assign any missions. Consequently, most of the troops were simply carrying out their daily patrols.

As the temporary captain, Thomas, on the other hand, became aloof and lived the life of a wage thief.

Freya's side was more troublesome. Purchasing the manor required going out and negotiating—though arrangements had already been made, in those days without cars or roads, traveling back and forth was quite cumbersome.

After two or three rounds of transactions, the deal was finally completed.

At dusk, Thomas entered the restaurant again.

The waiter, who was already familiar with him, immediately served him some of his usual dishes.

However, this time, before the food was served and they started eating, Thomas saw a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye.

It was none other than Janos.

"Master Thomas! Are you here?"

"What's the matter?" Thomas looked at the other person's serious expression and was a little surprised.

"Bahador is dead." Yanos said seriously.

"Bahador? Which Bahador?" Thomas couldn't remember for a moment.

"That's the one you injured last time." Yanos reminded. "The old man from the Star-Moon Cult!"

"Oh, you mean him." Thomas remembered. He seemed to be seriously ill before. "That time it was just a minor wound...Isn't it fatal?"

And even if he died, what would happen?

Do the Crescent-Creek believers dare to provoke the Knights now?

Thomas had gone to capture the Assassins in an official capacity, with evidence. Those killed by Thomas died in vain.